Disclaimer: With the
exception of any new/and or original characters, everything else belongs to the
Fox network & MGM studios.
Chapter 1:
Propositions
Max looked at herself in
the cracked, and tarnished mirror. Thinking to herself how just apt an analogy
of her whole life it was.
After
all wasn’t her soul just as cracked and tarnished as that mirror.
She
took in her features, analysing the cheekbones, the full pouting lips and the
large dark eyes – that now seemed even larger against the dark shadows that
circled them – her once glossy hair hanging limply around her shoulders, and
framing her pale tired face.
It
had been a month since they’d barricaded themselves inside
And
during that time nothing had really changed, the protestors still protested,
and the sector police were still sitting on TC’s doorstep while inside the
transgenics were slowly running out of supplies.
And
Max was beginning to think that maybe Mole had been right. That they should
have split up and gone to ground.
Sighing
to herself Max picked up the sharpened scissors that she’d placed on the
counter. Before looking once more into the mirror, and saying softly to herself
“Something needs to change”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Read
em’ and weep boy’s”, Alec crowed as he threw his
cards down onto the table with a flourish, and found himself unable to contain
the chuckle that bubbled up, at the sound several groans and the loud gnashing
of a pair of teeth on a cigar, that echoed around the table.
“Tell
me again, why I continue to play poker with you?”, a dark haired X5 called
Alec
grinned, “What can I say. I’ve got a charming personality”, he shrugged.
“Charming
personality, my ass”, Mole grunted, “there’s just
nothing else better to do around here.”
“Aww,
that hurts”, Alec sobbed as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye “It cut’s
me right here man”. He said whilst placing a hand over his heart.
“Yeah,
yeah”, Mole muttered around his cigar and ever present cloud of smoke.
“Hey
Alec”, Luke shouted from the upper tier of HQ. Balancing his chair on it’s two
back leg’s, Alec leaned backwards and glanced in Luke’s direction.
“Yeah,
what’s up?”
“
Sighing
heavily, Alec scrubbed a hand across his face, and got up from his chair.
“Ok,
send a runner over to Max’s place and tell her I’ll meet her on my way over to
greet our visitors.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max
was just towel drying her hair, when she heard someone shuffling their feet
outside her door. Grabbing a brush of the side, she threw the wet towel over a
nearby chair and went to open the door.
Swinging
it fully open, Max was confronted with empty space, but then a small tug at the
hem of her shirt had her glancing down into the shining upturned face of
Bugler.
“Hey
kid, what’s up?” she asked.
“Hey
Max”, he smiled “umm, Luke sent me tell you that we’ve got visitors” he said.
Frowning Max asked who they were. “Dunno, Military I think” he told her.
“Alec’s
on his way down to the gate, said he’d meet you on the way.”
Nodding
her head, Max quickly grabbed her leather jacket and headed out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alec
was just rounding the corner, when he saw Max heading his way.
Watching
her as she approached, he realised that there was something different about
her; she seemed to have an unusual lightness in her step, as though some of the
burden shed been carrying on her shoulders since he’d met, had been lifted.
As
she got nearer he canted his head to the side, as he realised just what it was
that was different.
Shed
cut her hair.
Instead
of hanging limply around her small frame, it now brushed the tops of her
shoulders, and bounced and shone with a life of it’s own. Framing her elfin
face, and making her dark eyes shine; bringing a smile to his own handsome face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After
a somewhat heated discussion with the detective in charge. Jack and Tealc were
finally able to make their way towards the gates of terminal City.
As
they drew nearer, Tealc became aware of someone watching them. Raising his head
he spotted the discreetly placed sentries, that were evenly dispersed all along
the high rise buildings.
Jack
too had noticed them, and realised that if it hadn’t been for the years he’d spent
as special-ops, he probably wouldn’t have realised that they were even there.
His
gaze stopped for a moment, when he saw a small blonde haired kid, no more than
fifteen holding an automatic rifle like he knew how to use it.
‘And
he probably does’, Jack sighed to himself.
Walking
up to one of the Transgenics on gate duty, he almost smiled as he watched the
X5 tense and automatically snap to attention, before he even realised what he
was doing.
“I’d
like to speak to whoever’s charge soldier”, Jack said.
“Well
that’d be us then”, a decidedly feminine voice said.
Turning
away from the Transgenic in front of him, he saw two of the most human looking
of the Transgenics walking towards him. The female was smaller than the male,
with a curvaceous figure, that would probably make any man sit up and beg if
she wanted them to.
Walking
possessively close to her was the male, tall with a not-overly muscular body.
A
handsome face, with hazel eyes that held a dangerous glint to them; and it was
all topped off with an unruly mop of dark blonde hair.
“What
do you want-” Alec asked as his eyes took in the insignia on the guy’s uniform
“-General”
Taking
a deep breathe and pulling himself to his full height, Jack answered as simply
as possible.
“I
have a proposition for you”.
Max
folded her arms and tipped her head to the side, as she took in the man before
her. For a military guy, the one in the uniform didn’t seem all that
‘military’, oh he was definitely Special Forces, or at least he had been.
But
he just didn’t give off that ‘soldier’ vibe; there was something in his eyes
though. A look she’d seen to often in her own, and in those of her brother and
sister Transgenics. A look that said ‘That they were tired. Tired of fighting.
Tired of death’ it was a look that she understood all to well.
“What
kind of proposition, would that be?” she asked, as she felt Alec tense at her
side, just in case it was something he didn’t like.
Jack
grinned, “I would like to offer you the world” he paused, before continuing “A
new one in fact.”